Real Hope: ForgivenessNäide

An Act of Forgiveness

Have you ever read the book of Philemon? If you have, you may have found it confusing. It’s like listening to one side of a phone conversation. It would be easy to miss the incredible story of forgiveness in this short, quirky book. So here’s a little background.

Philemon was a wealthy patron living in Colossae. Paul had never been there, but knew Philemon from his time in Ephesus, where Paul was likely writing from (in prison). They became close friends and, upon returning home, Philemon became an important member of the church there. Like all wealthy Romans, Philemon owned slaves. One of his slaves, Onesimus, ran away and likely took a large sum of money. In Roman law, that was very, very bad. If Philemon ever saw him again, he could exact vengeance in any way he liked. But then things got interesting. Onesimus found himself in Ephesus where he met Paul and became a follower of Jesus. While this was a wonderful development, imagine how awkward the situation must have been for Paul. So what did he do? He sent Onesimus home with a letter, the book of Philemon, in which he asked Philemon to welcome him home. Not as a slave, but as a brother–the closest familial relationship in Roman society.

What happened? No one knows for sure. But we do know of a similar situation in scripture. A gracious master. A runaway slave. An intermediary offering to pay the debt. A welcome home, not as a slave, but as family. An act of forgiveness that would go on to change the world.

Written by CHRIS GRESHAM-BRITT